With 100 games in the 69 days since the fourth season of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) tipped off May 25 now in the books, the 2022 playoffs begin Thursday, August 4. Play-in games pitting two-time defending champion Edmonton at Saskatchewan and Guelph at Fraser Valley opens the single elimination playoff format that culminates with the four-team Championship Weekend in Ottawa, August 12-14.
The Edmonton Stingers, 10-10 during the regular season, are the sixth seed entering post-season play. They’ll play the fifth-seeded Saskatchewan Rattlers, 11-9, at 7 p.m. Central/9 p.m. Eastern time at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon on Thursday. The Rattlers posted the CEBL’s best home record, 8-2, and finished the season winning four of their final five contests.
Seventh-seed Guelph, 10-10, heads to the Langley Events Centre for an encounter with fourth-seeded Fraser Valley, 12-8, in Thursday’s nightcap. The game tips off at 7:30 p.m. Pacific/10 p.m. Eastern time. The winners of Thursday’s two games advance to the quarterfinals of the eight-team playoffs.
The first quarterfinal game will tip off Saturday, August 6 at 7 p.m. Eastern time featuring the lower ranked play-in winner and the Niagara River Lions, who finished 13-7 and in second place during the regular season. Due to the 2022 Canada Summer Games taking place at Niagara’s home arena next weekend, the River Lions will host their home game at Guelph’s Sleeman Centre. The second quarterfinal game will feature third-seeded Scarborough, 12-8, hosting the higher ranked play-in winner Sunday at 3 p.m. Eastern time at the Toronto Pan Am Centre.
The two quarterfinal winners will secure a berth in the first semifinal matchup of CEBL Championship Weekend tipping off at 4 p.m. Eastern time at TD Place Arena in Ottawa on Friday, August 12. By virtue of hosting Championship Weekend, the Ottawa BlackJacks, 8-12, are set to host the Hamilton Honey Badgers, 14-6, in the second semifinal at 7 p.m. Hamilton finished first in the 2022 regular season standings and earned a bye into Championship Weekend as the number-one seed. The Championship final will be held Sunday, August 14 at 4 p.m. Eastern at TD Place Arena. Tickets to all games including Championship Weekend games are available here.
More details on the 2022 CEBL Playoff format and seeding can be found here.
Fans will be able to live stream all playoff games on the CEBL’s OTT streaming service CEBL+, the CEBL’s official app, CEBL Mobile for iOS and Android devices, cbcsports.ca, the free CBC Gem streaming service, the CBC Sports App for iOS and Android devices and on NXT Level Sports in the U.S. As part of its playoff coverage, CBC Sports will broadcast the quarterfinal games Sunday, August 7, semifinal games Friday, August 12, and the Championship game on Sunday, August 14. For the complete broadcast and streaming schedule, click here. All times are subject to change.
The CEBL’s fourth season began May 25 and ended August 1. A league created by Canadians for Canadians, the CEBL is the largest pro sports league in the country with 10 teams located in six provinces. It has the highest percentage of Canadian players of any professional league in the country, with 71 percent of its current rosters being Canadians. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. The only First Division Professional League Partner of Canada Basketball, the CEBL season runs from May through August. Head to CEBL.ca for more information or follow us (@cebleague) on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.